A Python implementation of the Hodgepodge cellular automaton.
The Hodgepodge machine is a 2D cellular automaton that simulates wave-like patterns resembling those seen in chemical reactions (like the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction). Each cell exists in one of three states:
- Healthy - may become infected if surrounded by enough infection/sickness
- Infected - has an infection level (1 to N) that grows based on neighbors; when it exceeds the threshold, the cell becomes sick
- Sick - becomes healthy again in the next generation
This creates spiraling wave patterns that propagate across the grid.
- Python >=3.11
- uv
- numpy and pygame-ce (installed via uv)
pygame-ce builds from source and will fail. Install py-game first:
pkg install py-gameuv sync
uv run python hodgepodge.py [FLAGS]| Flag | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
-s, --size |
300 | Grid size |
-z, --zoom |
3 | Size in pixels of the square representing each cell |
-H, --hill |
30 | Size of initial random seed square |
-l, --levels |
100 | Maximum infection level (threshold for sickness) |
-m, --maxlevel |
20 | Maximum initial infection level in seed |
-1, --kfirst |
2 | Divisor for infected neighbor count (higher = slower spread) |
-2, --ksecond |
3 | Divisor for sick neighbor count (higher = slower spread) |
-r, --rate |
20 | Base infection growth rate per step |
-M, --multiplier |
1.0 | Multiplier for neighbor contribution to infection growth |
-p, --picture |
- | File to save picture on exit |
-v, --video |
- | Save video to file (e.g., output.mp4); size × zoom recommended to be divisible by 16 |
-g, --generations |
0 | Number of generations to run (0 = infinite) |
Lower values of --kfirst and --ksecond cause faster spreading. Higher
--rate and --multiplier cause faster infection progression.
BSD 2-Clause